Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s desperate plea on online child safety was ripped apart by a commentator, who claimed Americans “don’t want some foreign prince” trying to transform their laws.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a statement on Wednesday demanding urgent changes to online platforms and the way in which they protect child users.
Via their Archewell Foundation, the couple’s wishes were made public after a bipartisan hearing on online child safety was held by a US Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Sussexes have been working to provide a network for parents whose children have suffered as a result of being exposed to harmful content online.
However, Kinsey Schofield – host of the To Di For Daily royal podcast – said the statement was more of a move for the couple to “reassert themselves in a bigger conversation that they were not invited to”.
Speaking on TalkTV, the insider said: “The Senate doesn’t care what Harry and Meghan think and they certainly don’t want a foreign prince coming over to try and make changes to our laws.
“This isn’t the only time that Prince Harry has been involved in something like this.
“He also works for the Aspen Institute here in the US, which is looking to create new guidelines that will look at how we navigate on social media.”
She added: “I think they’re trying to prove themselves as thought leaders but it is hard to take them seriously in that arena when you are watching this foundation they have built for themselves professionally in the entertainment industry crumbling.”
The couple’s post on their Archewell Foundation website described how the hearing was held “in front of a packed room including dozens of parents whose children have suffered or died due to online harms”.
The statement noted that the foundation had been “working with many of these families to provide a support network for parents dealing with grief or who have children managing serious mental health conditions as a result of their exposure to harmful online content”.
The couple also said they applauded “the bravery and determination of the thousands of parents around the country whose advocacy resulted in this hearing”.
They concluded: “Over the past few years, we have spent time with many of these families, listening to their heartache and their hopes for the urgent change that is needed in the online space.
“This is an issue that transcends division and party lines, as we saw today at the Senate hearing. The best parenting in the world cannot keep children safe from these platforms.
“As one of the fathers shared with us: ‘If love could have saved them, all of our children would still be here.’
“This is not the time to pass the buck of responsibility. It’s the time to make necessary change at the source to keep our children safe.”
